Product manufacturers and distributors typically assign model numbers to products. However, each manufacturer and distributor typically has its own format or standards for its model numbers. For example, some model numbers are strictly numeric, while others alpha-numeric or even pure alphabetic. Oftentimes hyphens or slashes in the number separate meaningful designations, like facility location, product run number, product revision, etc. Different products or product families may have different formats altogether. Still further, not all catalog numbers from a given distributor are the same length. Sometimes model numbers are prefixed, with the prefix having a meaning about that product (e.g., corresponding to particular characteristic). Other times model numbers have suffixes for the same purpose.
These variations amongst product model numbers can cause problems when searching for a particular model number in a database. For example, one challenge in searching for model numbers is that the prefixes and suffixes are not always carried along with the base model number throughout the supply chain. Some prefixes are used for tracking marketing effectiveness of various fliers and catalogs and are subsequently dropped when the model number shows up on an invoice or packing slip.
In other instances, suffixes may be added by the manufacturer to track minor variations in a product. Distributors typically do not have the ability to update paper catalogs and/or fliers with this suffix during the year, so the typical protocol is to not append it. However, the manufacturer will print the model number with the suffix on the packaging that is received by the customers.
Further, some all-numeric model numbers may carry a leading zero. This can create problems when these numbers are entered into certain spreadsheets, because the default action of such spreadsheets is to drop the leading zero. As a result, customers who use the model number in the spreadsheet as input to a vendor's search engine may not find a match.
Thus, customers do not always experience consistency in model numbers, even across the same product. This can cause difficulty when searching for model numbers on an e-commerce site, because the model numbers the customer has do not always match the model numbers in the vendor's model number database.